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Mass Casualties

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Textbook of Emergency General Surgery

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Abstract

From antiquity to nowadays, disasters appear suddenly and result in a great impact to the human habitat. Natural or man-made, the disastrous phenomena cause mass casualties as well as fatalities. Past experience and ongoing research in major incidents contribute to evolution of preparedness policies as well as response actions. In an effort to save lives and minimize property loss, local communities utilize an all hazard response approach to mass casualty incidents. Healthcare providers play an integral role in mass casualty management by responding quickly to a major incident, transmitting accurate information, deploying effectively medical assets, performing efficient triage, and providing appropriate treatment and suitable transport. Even if the struggle against natural and other phenomena appears unequal, research and training help societies to evolve, better preserve human and material resources, and recover quickly after a mass casualty incident.

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Further Reading

  • Kluger Y, Coccolini F, Catena C, Ansaloni L. WSES handbook of mass casualties incidents management. Cham: Springer Nature; 2020.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mackway-Jones K. Major incident medical management and support: the practical approach at the scene. Advanced Life Support Group. 3rd ed. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pikoulis E, Doucet J. Emergency medicine, trauma and disaster management: from prehospital to hospital care and beyond. Cham: Springer Nature; 2021.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Russell R, Bess A. Clinical guidelines for operations, change 3. Joint Service Publication (JSP) 999. Ministry of Defense UK. 2012.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Third Department of Surgery, Attikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece

    Emmanouil Pikoulis

  2. Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece

    Anastasia Pikouli

  3. Orthopaedics and Trauma, Sonnenhofspital, Bern, Switzerland

    Athanasios Kalogeropoulos

Authors
  1. Emmanouil Pikoulis
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  2. Anastasia Pikouli
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  3. Athanasios Kalogeropoulos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emmanouil Pikoulis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. General, Emergency and Trauma Surgery Dept., Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy

    Federico Coccolini

  2. General and Emergency Surgery Dept., Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy

    Fausto Catena

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Pikoulis, E., Pikouli, A., Kalogeropoulos, A. (2023). Mass Casualties. In: Coccolini, F., Catena, F. (eds) Textbook of Emergency General Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22599-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22599-4_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-22598-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-22599-4

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